By: Alex Kline, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
DAEJEON, South Korea – Cal Poly Pomona baseball alum Cody Ponce (2013-15) made history on Saturday, breaking the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) single-game strikeout record with 18 punch outs against the SSG Landers. The game was played in front of 17,000 fans at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, South Korea.
Ponce, who owns a stellar 1.48 ERA in his first 10 appearances for the Hanwha Eagles, was nearly untouchable in 8.0 innings of work on Saturday. The Upland native surrendered just two hits with the record-breaking 18 strikeout performance, while allowing just one walk on 113 pitches. The only other pitcher in KBO history to strike out 18 batters in a game was Seon Dong-yeol, who did so across 13 innings in June of 1991. The previous nine-inning mark was 17 set by Ponce's current teammate Hyun-jin Ryu, who did so on May 11
th, 2010 across 9.0 innings against the LG Twins.
This season, Ponce has become the bona fide ace of both the Hanwha Eagles and the KBO League, leading the entire league in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and innings pitched. Across 10 appearances, Ponce is a perfect 8-0 with eight quality starts, 67.0 innings pitched, 93 strikeouts to just 18 walks, and just 39 hits surrendered for a 0.85 WHIP. He has struck out 10 or more batters in four of his nine starts, and has allowed just
one earned run in his last 42.0 innings thrown. Yes, you read that correctly, he has allowed just
one earned run over his last six starts since April 15
th.
A member of the Cal Poly Pomona baseball team from 2013-2015, Ponce helped lead the Broncos to the 2015 NCAA Division II College World Series, where they would finish in the national semifinals. In 185.2 innings thrown for the Green & Gold, Ponce posted an impressive 2.42 career ERA with a 14-10 record across 47 appearances. He is one of just four pitchers in school history to throw at least 85 innings and not allow a single home run, while also ranking Top 10 in both saves and ERA. Furthermore, he only allowed 22 extra base hits in his CPP career for a jarring .596 opponent OPS.
As a freshman in 2013, he served as the team's closer with six saves, while also making four starts and being named All-CCAA Second Team. He was then moved into the rotation as a sophomore in 2014, gaining national attention for his "workhorse frame" of 6'5" and 235 pounds and being named Third Team All-CCAA, as well as a Cape Cod All-Star for the Brewster Whitecaps. As a junior in 2015, he put together his best season with a 1.44 ERA across 62.1 innings, allowing just seven extra base hits with a 5-3 record and three complete games on his way to earning All-CCAA Second Team honors. Ponce was also named ABCA All-West Region Second Team in each of his three seasons at CPP.
Following the 2015 season, Ponce was drafted in the second round (55
th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers, the fifth-highest MLB Draft pick in school history. After spending five seasons in the minor leagues, Ponce made his Major League debut on August 2, 2020 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the 12
th Bronco to appear in an MLB game. Since then, he spent three seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League, including throwing a no-hitter on August 27
th, 2022 for the Nippon Ham Fighters. He is now in his first season in the KBO League, and was recently named the KBO League's MVP for the month of March-April 2025.
